Highlights Archives
"Indian Mounds of Wisconsin" book wins Steinberg Prize
Indian Mounds of Wisconsin, authored by Robert A. Birmingham and Leslie E. Eisenberg, has won the Elizabeth A. Steinberg Prize. The annual prize is awarded by the University of Wisconsin Press to honor top-quality books with Wisconsin connections (see below for details). Winners receive framed awards and gift certificates from the University Book Store in Madison.
When published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 2000, Indian Mounds of Wisconsin was the first comprehensive book on mounds of the Midwest published in 150 years. In it, Birmingham and Eisenberg present an important new interpretation of effigy mound groups as cosmological maps that model ancient belief systems and social relations. They based this interpretation in evidence drawn from archaeology, ethnography, ethnohistory, the traditions and beliefs of present-day Native Americans in the Midwest, and recent research and theories of other archaeologists.
Birmingham recently retired from his long-time post as State Archaeologist in the Division of Historic Preservation at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and now teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. Eisenberg, a forensic anthropologist and archaeologist, coordinates the Burial Sites Preservation Program at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
It is likely that the distant ancestors of several present-day Native American groups, including the Ho-Chunk, were among the mound-building societies, in part because clan structures and beliefs of these groups today are similar to the symbolism represented in the effigy mounds. More mounds were built by ancient Native American societies in Wisconsin than in any other region of North America—between 15,000 and 20,000 mounds, at least 4,000 of which remain today.
Upon learning of the award, Eisenberg commented, “The selection of Indian Mounds of Wisconsin for this award recognizes the value of sharing with a broad audience the cultural legacy that the people of Wisconsin have inherited from the Native Nations who constructed these mounds more than 1000 years ago.”
Birmingham added, "Our goal for the book was to increase respect for these ancient monuments and grave sites as a means of furthering preservation efforts. This goal was achieved through publication by such a distinguished press, and we are pleased that that the University of Wisconsin Press found it a worthy addition to its excellent catalogue. We are grateful to the Wisconsin Historical Society for its support during the preparation of the book. "
The prize is named for Elizabeth A. Steinberg, the retired editor-in-chief of the University of Wisconsin Press who worked there nearly forty years. In odd years—such as 2005—the prize is given for a University of Wisconsin Press book by a Wisconsin resident on a Wisconsin topic. In even years, it is awarded to UW Press authors who are faculty or staff at a University of Wisconsin System campus. In 1999, Elizabeth Steinberg was awarded the University of Wisconsin Regents’ Award for Excellence and Outstanding Service in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the Press, the University, and the scholarly publishing community.
Mrs. Steinberg was among the judges for the 2005 award. The other judges were Dean Bakopoulos, the executive director of the Wisconsin Humanities Council who is also currently receiving national attention for his first novel, Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon; and Jim Leary, professor of Folklore and Scandinavian Studies at UW–Madison and co-director of the Center for the Study of Upper Midwest Cultures. His books include the popular title So Ole Says to Lena: Folk Humor of the Upper Midwest.
Works Eligible for the 2005 Steinberg Prize
Eligible works for this year are books by Wisconsin authors on a Wisconsin topic published by the University of Wisconsin Press between 2000 and 2002. The following eligible books were honored at the award ceremony. Web links connect to more information about each book and author. (in alphabetical order)
Robert Birmingham (Madison) and Leslie Eisenberg (Madison), Indian Mounds of Wisconsin, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3050.htm
Margaret Beattie Bogue (Madison), Fishing the Great Lakes: An Environmental History, 1783–1933,
http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3053.htm
Nicolette Bromberg (Madison), Wisconsin Then and Now: The Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Rephotography Project, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2015.htm
Helen McGavran Corneli (Stevens Point and Plainfield), Mice in the Freezer, Owls on the Porch: The Lives of Naturalists Frederick and Frances Hamerstrom, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2005.htm
Jack and Elizabeth Hailman (Madison), Backpacking Wisconsin, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3291.htm
Randy Hoffman (Waunakee), Wisconsin’s Natural Communities: How to Recognize Them, Where to Find Them, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3133.htm
Tom Kertscher (Wauwatosa), Cracked Sidewalks and French Pastry: The Wit and Wisdom of Al McGuire, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2316.htm
Joseph Moran (Green Bay) and Edward Hopkins (Madison), Wisconsin’s Weather and Climate,
http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3082.htm
Jerry Poling (Eau Claire), A Summer Up North: Henry Aaron and the Legend of Eau Claire Baseball, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2117.htm
Richard Quinney (Madison), Borderland: A Midwest Journal, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3553.htm
Bob Rashid (Madison), Gone Fishing, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3085.htm
Robin Shepard (Cottage Grove), Wisconsin’s Best Breweries and Brewpubs: Searching for the Perfect Pint, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2008.htm
Richard Thiel (Tomah), Keepers of the Wolves: The Early Years of Wolf Recovery in Wisconsin,
http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3513.htm
Zane Williams (Madison), Double Take: A Rephotographic Survey of Madison, Wisconsin,
http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3535.htm
Allen Young (Fox Point), Small Creatures and Ordinary Places: Essays on Nature, http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3321.htm
:: Posted April 1, 2005
|
